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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: vault · squash · file · rule · shower · trunk · wound · lash

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. file — a document
  4. squash — the sport
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. wound — an injury
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rule — a law
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. file — a line of people
  13. vault — a safe
  14. shower — rain
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. rule — government
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. shower — to wash
  21. file — a tool
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. squash — to crush

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com